After a year long wait since the Digimon Tamers box came out, Digimon Frontier finally gets it's turn with a Blu-ray box.

It's been nearly 8 months since the box was announced, so let's dig into how it came out after the wait.

As normal, I won't be reviewing the show itself, just going over the actual Blu-ray release, although there is a bit more this time...

Any screencaps from the Blu-rays are lossless PNGs.

All images in the article are smaller copies from our gallery (to keep loading sizes smaller for everyone), but link to the full sized versions when clicked.

Scanning was done as high quality as I could do, and compressed and shrunk to reasonable sizes, along with reasonable quality JPG compression. I've explained my workflow in my personal thread and will answer any questions involving it or the processes used.

Scanning this time went very smoothly. Scanning went well, editing went smoothly. In fact, it went so smoothly I did some extra cleaning up on some of the more art showcase type scans.

First up will be all the physical stuff. Everything included with the Blu-ray was scanned minus two things (a generic Blu-ray instruction sheet and some normal brown cardboard.)

In addition I've taken photos to help show off the set better.

We start with... an obi card!

This obi card covers the front, spine, and back of the Digimon Frontier box and contains various product details so that the box itself ends up clean.

The left side had a minimal box title, along with the contents of the Blu-ray box. The spine portion has the Digimon Frontier logo so it can be spotted on a store shelf easily. And the right side contains some details about it being in HD, along with cast and staff info.

The left and right sides also fold into the box itself for grip. The folds contain silhouettes of Bokomon and Neemon.

On to the box itself!

The artwork for the box is pretty fantastic. Featuring new artwork from series character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, it has a fun and adventurous look to it.

On the front we have all 6 kids: Takuya, Tomoki, Izumi, Kouji, Junpei, and Kouji. The art is really good, and as far as potential complaints go, at most Takuya might benefit from a bit of a tan, but Nakatsuru's artwork in recent years has skewed to using more mild skin colors.

On the spine we have the true heroes of the series, Neemon and Bokomon, plus Trailmon Worm. Trailmon looks how you'd expect, and Neemon and Bokomon both make me smile looking at them. Bokmon has a happy look as he's running, while Neemon kind of continues the theme of being goofy but not so much running as looking like he's sort of... walking fast.

On the back we get the 6 human spirit Digimon forms of the kids: Agnimon, Chakmon, Wolfmon, Lowemon, Blitzmon, and Fairymon. I really like how this looks, as all the Digimon are drawn pretty great. The color really pops on this one. Overall it feels like Lowemon, and especially Fairymon, could have had better placement to feature them a bit larger, but the artwork for everyone is great to see.

The box is clearly designed to fit the 'kids running with their Digimon' theme that prior shows used. Adventure and 02 used an identical style of imagery to eachother, while Tamers did it's own twist on the style. Frontier continues this by taking what Frontier did, and tweaking it in a few ways. Like with Tamers, there is no slipcover. The kids and their Digimon are very slightly raised off the surface and are glossier than the background (to my eyes it looks slightly glossier than Tamers, and less raised, but that might be an optical illusion. The Tamers characters weren't raised all that much anyways.) Perhaps more obvious is the way everyone is running. Instead of a sideways run like Adventure and 02, or having everyone run towards the center camera like Tamers, it keeps the general wide shot of Tamers, but instead has everyone running fanned out. It's a great way to continue the theme, but adding in a bit of it's own flair. The manner in which it does so also allows the kids and the Digimon to be shown separately as proper lineups, and to give Bokomon and Neemon some focus.

The top of the box is simply the minimal Digimon Frontier text that appears a number of times on the set, while the bottom includes various technical and legal details.

An interesting change from the Tamers set is that on the top side of the box, you can actually see the background continue a bit.

Inside the main box are two digistacks holding the discs.

The boxes go from right to left in the box. They fit snugly in the case alongside a booklet.

The first digistack features another image drawn by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru. This type of image continues the theme of the first digistack being a more casual image, the same as Adventure, 02, and Tamers went with.

This one features the kids at one of the digital world's train stations. It appears Nakatsuru had fun drawing the characters, but it doesn't feel as cohesive as the equivalent images from the prior sets, largely due to the kids themselves (insert Frontier commentary here.)

Everyone is sort of just... standing around and doing their own thing? The separate pieces of art I really like, but something to unify everything would help a lot. As it is, it's a few pieces of great character art, all floating around looking like cover art to a random Christian rock album.

The inside features a nice shot of a forest and train track, along with a disc/episode guide. Due to the way the digistack is designed it's not easy to get a decent scan. The gallery also has a perspective corrected scan and a photo of the left side for those who want to see them uncovered.

The first digistack contains the first 4 discs.

The discs this time use the character artwork the same way the Adventure, 02, and Tamers boxes did, giving each Digimon and kid a featured disc with their art. It skips the eye motif from the Adventure and 02 boxes to instead go with the Digivice motif the Tamers box had. It uses the D-Scanners on each disc, and places each kid opposite their human spirit Digimon form.

The second digistack contains yet another new piece of art by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru! This time we get a more action oriented shot. Adventure and 02 did faceoff images, while Tamers had a 'rushing' to battle' type shot.

Frontier goes with a nice wide shot of the kids with various spirit form Digimon. Takuya and Kouji are with their combined spirit forms, while the other kids are shown alongside their beast spirits.

The poses here look good showing various bits of character flair, and everyone is sized well on it. Each character has a decent amount of detail, and again, the overall boldness of the colors comes through quite well. The main oddity is that Takuya is glowing. If it were just him and Kouji it wouldn't seem odd, but with just him it comes across as a touch weird.

The inside features a nice wide shot showing off Cherubimon's castle, along with a disc/episode guide. Again, due to the way the digistack is designed it's not easy to get a decent scan. The gallery also has a perspective corrected scan and a photo of the left side for those who want to see them uncovered.

The second digistack contains the last 4 discs.

The disc theme of the kids, Digimon, and their D-Scanners continue here.

Since there are only 6 kids, the last 2 discs use the standard profile art of KaiserGreymon and MagnaGarurumon, along with Takuya and Kouji's upgraded D-Scanners.

The box also contained a booklet.

The booklet is designed to look like Bokomon's book, which works amazingly well for Frontier. The front looks exactly how you'd expect it to (minus many of the deeper scuffs, etc. the book had in the show.) The back has the logo in a darker green which looks very nice (in show the back was the same as the front, but going this way makes it a bit cleaner looking.)

Notably, the glossy surface on the front and back actually scans pretty well, but it appears the actual coating was slightly different, as they scanned at different darkness levels despite looking roughly the same in person (I'd say both look like the front cover, maybe a touch darker than that.)

For now I'm not scanning the booklet as it's all pre-existing material reformulated from the prior DVD booklets (which themselves had a lot of reused content.)

Well, it isn't ALL pre-existing... there are pages of new interviews that we hope to have translated for you shortly.

If you pre-ordered the (Amazon version of the) box from Amazon you got a few bonus items...

The first is a small and basic shikishi featuring Susanoomon and Lucemon: Falldown Mode. Thie shikishi is printed nicely, but overall it's disappointing as it's just their basic profile art shoved together for a sort of odd looking showoff.

Outside of the printed area there is a white border, with the edges of the shikishi itself coated in a gold-colored foil. I didn't scan the reverse side, but it's basically just yellow paper with some flecks of silver foil in it. It's roughly the width and height of a standard CD case.

Amazon buyers also get something else...

Acrylic keychains! You get all 6 kids, and while like the shikishi they use standard profile art, this in general seems nicer since this is something you'd expect the art to be used on. All 6 coming together makes it extra nice since there is nothing to collect.

They come packed in an acrylic hardsheet, they don't seem to be actively attached to it in any way, just held in due to the size being lined up. The acrylic sheet measures roughly 7.5 by 4 inches.

A small baggy with chains is also included, which is good... because... keychains.

These were scanned a bit oversized so they'd be more visible scanned.

A few other stores had their own exclusives. Below are photos that were posted elsewhere for promotional use.

Yodabashi Camera also got 2 exclusive items. First is a tote bag, which features Bokomon, Patamon, and Neemon, along with the Frontier logo. Along with that is a B2 size fabric poster featuring new artwork of Fairymon and Shutmon by Setsuko Nobuzane.

Toei Online had a B2 sized fabric poster using the new Blu-ray box artwork by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru.

And last up for the other physical things in the set... the new audio drama...

Digimon Frontier- A Train Named Hope

The new Digimon Frontier audio drama is included with the first print version of the Blu-ray box, which means any restocks, or even late pre-orders, will not have it. The name of the audio drama itself may be a reference to A Streetcar Named Desire.

It comes wrapped with the Blu-ray box itself in some very nice quality plastic that appears to be meant to be kept so you can rewrap the box if you want.

This box itself is just relatively cheap cardstock that's used to house the actual CD case. The artwork is the same used elsewhere on the Blu-ray box, simply in monochrome for cheaper printing. Although the color they've chose is certainly... bright. Credits and details are printed on the front, to allow them to be seen when the box is still in the plastic wrap. Both spine sides were identical so only one was scanned.

The CD was packaged in a CD-Album style case (the normal CD case most people are familiar with.) To fit inside the Blu-ray sized outer box there was plain cardboard that had been cut and folded to act as a tray. Since it had no artwork or other material on it it wasn't scanned.

The cover for the audio drama is simply the kids from the Blu-ray box. A yellow frame and titling has been added, with any character art going over the yellow frame and under the titling. With it being an audio drama that has a focus on everyone, it makes sense that this one would represent that with everyone.

The cover is the front to a small fold out booklet (more a pamphlet.)

The booklet comments are cast and crew thoughts regarding the new audio drama. We should have these translated soon alongside the new interview content from the Blu-ray booklet.

The back cover has cast and staff credits.

And we finish the packaging with a scan of the disc itself.

It's a very simple and clean CD label that does the same thing Tamers did. It uses a yellow and white label, with clear material in various places to have silhouettes of the characters as they appear on the box. This type of simple label works really well for me, and I like how to match the box cover itself, the kids are all on the left, while the Digimon are all on the right (with Bokomon and Neemon on top!)

We'll be back to the audio drama a bit later...

For now... onto the disc contents itself!

The video is encoded using AVC at an average bitrate of just under 38 Mbps. Fantastic bitrate for animated content in general. Frontier is encoded at 1080i and 30 frames per second. This in and of itself was expected because of the way the show was made and the way the BD spec is (Digimon was made with mixed framerate, which Blu-ray can't do, but using 1080i mixed framerate content is possible due to the way TV processing works.)

The audio is a 2.0 PCM track. Good uncompressed 16-bit audio. The audio is generally smooth and crisp and is effectively the same as prior releases. There isn't much to say about the audio because it's exactly what you would expect (and as I've said before, it isn't even 'that' different than the audio you'd expect on a number of Blu-rays for new shows coming out today.)

No subtitles are included, which is expected.

The video is where there is more to talk about. Screencaps were taken from both the first and last episode.

The 1080i encoding itself appears to have been done properly, so any standard hardware can deinterlace the picture to 1080p without any visual oddities, minus the times there are oddities in the source material.

A number of times watching, if you look close, lines would appear a bit shaky. These in general wouldn't look to bad from across a room, but there are likely to be various times when there seems to have only been one field in the original animation (such as the shot of Kouichi below), which looks low resolution and kind of terrible. This isn't abnormal for animation from the era, and should be reasonably rare, but when it happens, you're likely to notice.

Due to the production era the show was made in, the set looks roughly how you would expect. With master tapes at 480i there is only so much you can do.

In most cases filtering appears to have a more deft hand than Adventure and 02 had (and looks roughly similiar to Tamers), so things appear less smudgy. This, combined with Frontier component masters (like Tamers) means that in general, the picture quality appears relatively decent.

But it also means when there are issues, there is less hiding it. The various issues introduced by composite video itself served to hide certain rough edges in Adventure and 02, as did the more aggressive filtering.

Various assets used in Frontier were clearly low resolution and simply don't scale up cleanly. In general this is more problematic when you are looking at a screenshot a few inches away from a computer monitor than sitting and watching at a TV though.

Although there is one oddity with Frontier that wasn't on the prior sets...

Unlike prior shows (an equivalent Tamers screenshot is included for comparison), they did not redo the credits and OP/ED lyrics to make them HD.

This seems especially odd to me, because I vaguely recall at least one episode having them redone nicely with a quicky upscale of an episode a few years ago for an airing (that may just be my memory playing tricks on me though.)

Much like Adventure, 02, and Tamers in their sets, this is the best the show has looked, and it likely couldn't look much better. There are certainly issues, but in general they are expected issues owing to the age and production of the show itself. Assuming we get a Savers set, I would expect them to look roughly identical to this unless Happinet changes it's upscaling method (although Savers being a bit newer will hopefully benefit since production methods had settled a bit when Savers was made.)

The menus are really nice.

The menus use the new box artwork and starts with all the characters appearing in with a 'rushing' effect while Fire! plays, and then the logo appears in a multi-part sequence. It's very dynamic and eye-pleasing.

Various menu buttons and text are recolored versions of elements from the Tamers box (very likely designed with the intention it'd be used on both.)

Each episode has a small chapter selection submenu that pops up if you click on it and the final disc has a menu for the handful of extras included with the set.

The menu has an oddity compared to prior sets though... there are no clips from the show playing in the background. This combined with the 'quicker' upscaling of the credits rather than redoing them like prior sets suggests a bit of belt tightening perhaps.

But like I said the menu really does look fantastic.

So good that I captured the menu intro (buttons and all) so everyone could see how neat it looks.

As mentioned just above...

Time for extras!

There's only a few on the set.

A clean version of the opening, Fire!!
A clean version of the first ending theme, Innocent ~Remaining Innocent~.
A clean version of the second ending theme, An Endless Tale.
The episode ending cards. Both the version from episodes 1 thru 49 and the one from episode 50 are included. The one for episodes 1 thru 49 says "Come watch us again!" and the one for episode 50 says "Thanks for all of your support!"

That's about what we expected, so even if it's nothing special, it's nice to get good quality versions of the opening and ending themes, along with the ending cards (although those didn't get upscaled that well to be honest.) The ending cards for Frontier aren't that well known, to the degree that when the BD-Box version of episode 1 aired late last year, a number of people thought it was newly commissioned artwork.

It's been a wait for Frontier fans to get a Blu-ray box, but it appears to be about as good as could be expected (minus one or two small oddities.) The video jumps up and down, but is about as good as you'd expect for this. The box itself is gorgeous and looks great. Having a fun audio drama sequel is a nice cherry on top also.

Of course, there's a bit more to talk about... but first some standard business...

A few photos of it how it was packaged and before I pulled open the plastic.

Screencaps were taken largely at random while jumping around (although if I knew a moment was coming up I wanted a cap of, I'd wait or take extras.)

The scans are very small compared to the master scans I did (the work and backup folder structure for the scans and screencaps was 28 gigs.) I will try and make wallpapers if people are interested. If you want to see a specific screencap of something give me a rough timecode if you can.

The Digimon Frontier Blu-ray box is still available to order. It's 53,800 yen and early versions of the box will include the new Frontier audio drama. Be aware many stores may be out of the version with the audio drama: (Affiliate link)Digimon Frontier Blu-ray Box

Lots of Digimon stuff is coming out soon and supporting us via our Patreon or donations would be greatly appreciated so that we can do more breakdowns and improve the site. Feel free to join us in the Discord if you want to chat about the Blu-ray or tri.

The number overall doesn't compare well to prior sets, but they generally weren't expected to, and doing around 1/3 and 1/2 of what 02 and Tamers did (respectively) doesn't sound that odd for Frontier. With expectations likely reasonably in check the number isn't bad at all for a stand-alone Blu-ray release.

With 1,000 sold, it wouldn't be shocking if it doesn't place high enough on week 2 for us to get numbers, but with over 1,000 sold, hopefully it shows that there is a dedicated, if small, group of Digimon fans who are willing to spend money on Frontier and get them some sort of figure or other product, and continue on with future Digimon Blu-rays.

Update- There are no numbers for second week sales of Digimon Frontier on Blu-ray because the box did not chart for that week.

The last item we have numbers for is the 2010 Detective Conan film at 20th place on the anime Blu-ray charts. It sold 226 copies in it's 2nd week.

ANNOUNCER: The train will be jolting, so please be careful and hold on.

HIM: Are you awake? You were in a pretty deep sleep. Eh? Meguro? Meguro is already way behind us. Did you miss your stop? You must have been extremely tired. You have a busy schedule, huh? I hope you can relax now that it’s the end of the day.

TAKUYA: Hey, Tomoki.
TOMOKI: What is it, Takuya-san?
TAKUYA: Did you grow taller again? How tall are you now?
TOMOKI: Um, 180 centimeters.
TAKUYA: Man! Just the other day, you were only taller than me by a little bit, but you’ve sure shot up now.

HIM: Those boys in front of us hanging by the train straps. They look like they’re in high school. I wonder what they’re chatting about. Let’s have a listen.

TOMOKI: I’m sorry.
TAKUYA: It’s nothing to apologize about. By the way, what did you want to ask my advice on?
TOMOKI: To tell you the truth… I’m wondering if I should run for student council president.
TAKUYA: Whoa, that’s amazing, Tomoki!
TOMOKI: But there is one problem.
TAKUYA: What’s that?
TOMOKI: I’m a freshman.
TAKUYA: Well, duh, I know that already! I’m a third-year.
TOMOKI: The student council president is usually a second-year.
TAKUYA: Uh, so is there a school rule or something that says you can’t run for student council president as a first-year?
TOMOKI: No, there isn’t, but… The thing is, no one has ever done it before.
TAKUYA: C’mon, no one’s gonna have a problem with it! If they do, I’ll punch their lights out!
TOMOKI: Takuya-san… Please, anything but that…
TAKUYA: And Tomoki, I’m surprised at you! Why would you worry about a small thing like that? Doing what no one else has done is the frontier spirit, isn’t it? …Probably.
TOMOKI: You’re right. Okay then. I’ll apply for the running.
TAKUYA: Good! Now that that’s done, time for a strategy meeting. First, what are you gonna say as your catchphrase or slogan?
TOMOKI: I’ve already come up with a slogan.
TAKUYA: You sure you weren’t planning on running from the start?
TOMOKI: No, that’s not it. I was thinking about it so I could have it ready for next year.
TAKUYA: Oh, I see. So, what’s your slogan?
TOMOKI: ”Bullying and mean behavior is unforgivable!”
TAKUYA: Hey, that’s Chakmon’s signature phrase!
TOMOKI: Yes. There have been cases of bullying at my school, and as I was thinking on how I’d like to do something about it, I heard those words enter my ears.
TAKUYA: Maybe it was the voice of Chakmon’s ice spirit.
TOMOKI: Yeah, maybe. When I told Katsuharu and Teppei about it, they said they’d be glad to help me out.
TAKUYA: Katsuharu and Teppei… Those are the two guys who were with Angemon in the Digital World, aren’t they? The ones who pushed you into the Trailmon.
TOMOKI: That’s right.
TAKUYA: And now you guys are friends, huh?
TOMOKI: I know that getting rid of bullying isn’t easy. But if my generation can’t do it, then as long as it’s inherited by the next generation and the generation after that, then I’m sure that one day, bullying will be eradicated. I want to keep working on it with that belief in mind. That’s my campaign pledge.
TAKUYA: Haha! Come to think of it, I remember how you used to say that you wanted to become a hero of justice. How about becoming a politician?
TOMOKI: I haven’t thought that far ahead yet… But never mind that. Takuya-san, you’ll be continuing soccer even after you graduate, right?
TAKUYA: Yep!
TOMOKI: I heard from Izumi-san that you’re going to Italy! Is it Serie A?1
TAKUYA: Nope, Serie D. Going from top to bottom, it’s A, B, C, and D. D is the fourth-ranked league.
TOMOKI: That’s amazing!
TAKUYA: Yep! But I’m not staying satisfied. From there, I’ll keep building up experience, training my physique, improving my technique, and make it to the top league one day!
TOMOKI: You could do it, Takuya-san. You could definitely do it!
TAKUYA: To tell you the truth, I have someone that I admire! Maybe you’ve heard of him? It’s Sukehiro Tomita2, who graduated from Urawa High School and scored tons of goals in Serie A! I wanna be a soccer player like Tomita one day!
TOMOKI: Haha. By the way, were you able to master the Italian language? You’ll need to know how to communicate.
TAKUYA: Uh… well… Not really… In fact… Not at all?
TOMOKI: Is Izumi-san not teaching you well?
TAKUYA: It’s not that, she just won’t shut up! She keeps going on at me about “forza, forza”! Ah, “forza” means “do your best”. I don’t need to be told to do my best, I’m already doing it! But there are some things in this world that are impossible no matter how hard you try!
TOMOKI: What are you saying, Takuya-san?! How could you just call it quits from the start?!
TAKUYA: U–Uh… Tomoki…
TOMOKI: Ah… I’m sorry. That sounded bossy.
TAKUYA: No, it’s fine. You’re right. If I don’t speak the language, they won’t use me in matches. I’ll just have to do it.
TOMOKI: That’s right! I’ll do my best, so you should do your best too, Takuya-san!

ANNOUNCER: We are arriving at Azabu-Juuban. The exit will be on the right. [in English] Arriving at Azabu-Juuban.

TAKUYA: Come to think of it, we kept losing to the Royal Knights and Lucemon in the Digital World so much that we all got fed up with it… But we still kept trying.
TOMOKI: That’s right. Once you give up, it’s all over.
TAKUYA: Compared to that, Izumi’s nag attack is no threat!

HIM: Did you hear that? They just said “Digital World.” Do you want to know what that is? Then let’s switch trains here.

–

ANNOUNCER: The train from Roppongi to Tochou-mae to Hikarigaoka will be arriving on the second track. Please stand clear of the doors. Please watch the gap between the train and the platform.

JUNPEI: [singing Italian opera]
IZUMI: H–Hey… No…
JUNPEI: What? [keeps singing]
IZUMI: Just… Junpei!
JUNPEI: [whispers] Is it just a bit too low? [keeps singing, louder]
IZUMI: Don’t sing inside the train!
JUNPEI: [keeps singing]
IZUMI: Ahh… You’re bothering the other passengers!
JUNPEI: Eh? Oh, c’mon… You were the one who told me to sing, Izumi-chan.
IZUMI: [hissing] What are you going to do about this? Everyone’s looking at us!
GIRL #1: [giggling] Who’s that guy? An opera singer? He’s pretty stout, so he looks the part.
GIRL #2: Never mind that, do you see that girl next to him? It’s her, isn’t it? That reader model3 we often see in magazines… Um, what was her name… Oh, right! Izumi Orimoto!
GIRL #1: Oh my god! I gotta take a photo!

HIM: Oh? Are you also interested in that reader model and that man who looks like an opera singer? You have good instincts! Let’s listen to what they’re talking about!

IZUMI: [sighs] In any case, after hearing that song, I can’t believe you were able to get into H.U.4
JUNPEI: I’d sing more properly if I wasn’t inside a train.
IZUMI: But still, I was surprised that watching Shizuka Arakawa in the Turin Olympics was what made you decide to become an opera singer5. Junpei, you’re surprisingly quite the fanboy.
JUNPEI: I never said that. I’m training to be an opera singer so that I can have an even closer relationship with Izumi-chan…
IZUMI: What are you muttering about? If you have something to say, then say it clearly.
JUNPEI: [loudly] All right! I will! …Izumi-chan, have you decided what to do once you graduate high school?
IZUMI: I’ll be more or less going to university?
JUNPEI: Where?
IZUMI: I haven’t decided that yet.
JUNPEI: Then why don’t you come to my school?
IZUMI: H.U. is a bit… Um… Well, for starters, I plan on applying to 4-5 schools that look interesting, then go to whichever among them accepts me based on how I feel at the time.
JUNPEI: That’s rather leaving it up to the wind, isn’t it? As expected of the former Fairymon.
IZUMI: Fairymon! What a nostalgic name! Oh, speaking of which, when I was Fairymon in the Digital World…
JUNPEI: Yeah?
IZUMI: I could see the different types of wind as colors. Zephyrs were celeste… Sky blue. Tailwinds were arancione… Orange. Headwinds were nero… Black. It wasn’t just colors. I could even hear their tune and smell the scent of the winds… Winds have a lot of different appearances to them.
JUNPEI: Ooh, I see.
IZUMI: Even now when I’m feeling the wind, I can kind of tell the sensation of that wind… Maybe Fairymon’s wind spirit is still within me. How about you, Junpei? Do you still remember the sensations from when you were Blitzmon?
JUNPEI: I… I’m not sure. I don’t remember much about it. In fact, back then I was at my wits’ end all the time, so I never got the chance to sit back and taste what lightning was like.
IZUMI: What about now?
JUNPEI: What do you mean “now”? Are you telling me to get electrocuted? I can’t do that, I’ll die!
IZUMI: [laughs] I see! Lightning is rather troublesome, huh?
JUNPEI: Heh, yes it is.

HIM: Those two are talking about the Digital World too. Aren’t you getting more curious?

JUNPEI: I–Izumi-chan… By the way…
IZUMI: What?
JUNPEI: I’ve got something to ask you, as a suggestion. Um… When you’ve been accepted into Uni, Izumi-chan, I have an idea on how to celebrate…
IZUMI: Wow! Grazie! Thanks! What are you planning to give me?
JUNPEI: It’s not a thing. Um… What do you think about traveling? We can take a trip to Italy and see the Roman Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Blue Grotto in Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and then lastly, we can enjoy opera in Milano’s La Scala!
IZUMI: Va bene! That’s a great idea! I approve!
JUNPEI: Yes! I got Izumi-chan’s approval! Khhh, it was worth it to bring out my courage and make a confession!
IZUMI: If we’re going, then the best time would be during summer vacation when university life has quieted down. Takuya should already be in Italy by then, and Kouji might be able to join us there. Which means the people leaving from here would be me, Junpei, Kouichi, Tomoki, and…
JUNPEI: U–Um… Izumi-chan? You aren’t thinking of taking everyone along, are you?
IZUMI: Of course!
JUNPEI: N–No way! Also, what’s this about Takuya being in Italy? What’s that all about?
IZUMI: Eh? Junpei, haven’t you heard? Takuya’s joining a soccer team there.
JUNPEI: No one told me that!
IZUMI: I see… Oh! I know!
JUNPEI: What? What?
IZUMI: Summer vacation and the opening games for the league will happen at the same time, won’t they? Then why don’t we all go to cheer for Takuya?
JUNPEI: Ehh?!
IZUMI: Listen. In Italian, “go” means “vai”! Vai! Takuya, vai! Goal! Goal!
JUNPEI: I–Izumi-chan… You need to keep your voice down in the train…
ANNOUNCER: Aoyama-Itchome. Aoyama-Itchome.

HIM: Sounds like they’ve gone off-topic from the Digital World. Let’s get off here and switch trains again.

–

HIM: Look. There are two boys there. They look similar, don’t they? They’re twins. I’m sure that those two will talk about the Digital World too. Let’s give them a listen.

KOUJI: You got an A-grade for medical school? That’s amazing, Kouichi! You’re as good as accepted.
KOUICHI: No, I can’t let my guard down just yet. A mock exam is still a mock exam. Besides, it’s you who is the amazing one, Kouji.
KOUJI: Huh? What’s so amazing about me?
KOUICHI: You’re gonna travel around the world! That’s incredible! The scale of that is so huge, I can’t even begin to imagine it.
KOUJI: Don’t think of it as that big of a deal. If I said it’s more like being a “backpacker,” would you know what that is?
KOUICHI: Yeah, I can understand “backpacker.”
KOUJI: I’ll be bringing my smartphone with me, so I’ll send you photos of where I go.
KOUICHI: Thanks, I’ll be looking forward to it. But even if we’re connected through the internet, it’s kind of sad that we won’t get to see each other for some time.
KOUJI: … [humming]
KOUICHI: …What?
KOUJI: Hey, Kouichi? When you feel sad, just look up.
KOUICHI: What happens when I look up?
KOUJI: The sky is connected endlessly. Whenever you’re looking up at the sky, I’m probably looking up too. When you think of it that way, you won’t feel lonely anymore.
KOUICHI: [smiles] Okay. I’ll do that.
KOUJI: Oh, but… There is one thing bothering me.
KOUICHI: What is it?
KOUJI: Mm…
KOUICHI: You can tell me anything. If it’s something that I can help with, then I want to help in any way I can.
KOUJI: Thanks. To tell you the truth, it’s about Mom. She’s a worrywart, so I think she might get herself worked up if I don’t come back home for one or two years.
KOUICHI: Yeah, that’s a legitimate worry.
KOUJI: I want to do what I can to make her feel at ease. I know, Kouichi! Why don’t you pretend to be me and go see her once in awhile?
KOUICHI: Eh? T–That’s…
KOUJI: Do you not like that idea?
KOUICHI: No, I’m not against it… I just don’t know if I can pull it off or not…
KOUJI: Sure you can! Compared to getting into med school, this should be a piece of cake.
KOUICHI: I don’t know if studying and impersonating someone should be compared at the same level…
KOUJI: Let’s give it a shot and practice.
KOUICHI: O–Okay…
KOUJI: Mom, I’m home! Now you.
KOUICHI: M–Mom, I’m home.
KOUJI: That’s stiff. Can you say it a bit more cheerfully? Mom, I’m home!
KOUICHI: Mom, I’m home… Like that?
KOUJI: Yeah, like that. But make your voice just slightly louder. Mom, I’m home!
KOUICHI: Mom, I’m home!
KOUJI: That’s it! That was perfect!
KOUICHI: T–Thank goodness…
KOUJI: The only problem left would be Garm…
KOUICHI: Garm? What’s that? The Garm in Garmmon?
KOUJI: Yeah. Garm is the name of my dog. He has a sharp nose, so I dunno if he’ll be fooled easily… He might bark or try to bite you if he knows that you’re not me…
KOUICHI: …Sorry… I can’t do it after all.
KOUJI: Ah… N–No, I’m sorry! I took advantage of your kindness and was being pushy…
KOUICHI: …
KOUJI: …
KOUICHI: (*Sigh*… If only I had a little more courage… If only some of Duskmon’s strength still remained in me…)
KOUJI: (I made Kouichi feel depressed… If I was Wolfmon, I could have brought him light…)

HIM: What’s the matter? Why are you so surprised? Eh? There’s something behind the twins? …Yeah, there is. Digimon! Those are Digimon you’re seeing! Digimon come as various types, but those two look bigger and stronger than the humans.

WOLFMON: Hey, Duskmon. Did you hear what Kouichi just said?
LOWEMON: C’mon, Wolfmon, don’t call me by my old name. I’m Lowemon now.
WOLFMON: Oh, that’s right. Lowemon.
LOWEMON: Kouichi is wrong. Duskmon was strong because he was ignorant. He was strong because the only thing that he knew was to fight. All he ever thought about was defeating his opponents.
WOLFMON： But the truly strong are the compassionate souls. A merciful heart is necessary.
LOWEMON: It’s Kouichi who is stronger. I know because I’ve been by Kouichi’s side all the time, watching him. I’ve seen how hard Kouichi has been studying to get into med school.
WOLFMON: I’ll bet he has.
LOWEMON: It’s not just studying. He’s also been keeping up his part-time job delivering newspapers because he thought that a scholarship alone wasn’t going to be enough. Kouichi is an amazing person. As the Digimon who accompanied him as the Spirit of Darkness, I am very proud of him.
WOLFMON: Kouji is the same way. He humbles himself, always saying that he still has much to work on, but an uncut gem doesn’t sparkle. By traveling the world, Kouji’s light is sure to shine even brighter. I look forward to that day.

HIM: The Digimon are saying some nice stuff. Digimon and humans, by journeying together, help each other to grow.

ANNOUNCER: This train will be going direct on the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line running semi-express to Chūō-Rinkan. The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. After Shibuya, we will be stopping at Ikejiri-Ōhashi. For transfers, please take the Fukutoshin Line, the JR Line, the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line, or the Keio Inokashira Line. Please remember to take all of your belongings when exiting the train. Thank you for riding the Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon line.

LOWEMON: Kouichi and his brother are getting off at a later stop, right? Wolfmon.
WOLFMON: Futako-Tamagawa. But we’ll be getting off here.
LOWEMON: I know that.

HIM: Why are you staring into space? You’re getting off too! Follow those Digimon!

–

HIM: Let’s get on that elevator.

[The sound of an elevator going down]

HIM: This is your first time in this elevator, right? Where is it headed? To the terminal underground. From there, you will be going to the Digital World. It’s the frontier of the Digimon that you saw earlier. You were able to see the Digimon, right? It’s actually my job to guide people like you to the Digital World. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Neemon, a Digimon. Nice to meet you.

–

PUMPMON: Yay, welcome to Shibuya!
GOTSUMON: The railway train going straight to the Digital World is gonna be departing soon!
WOLFMON: Who are you guys?
PUMPMON: I’m Pumpmon!
GOTSUMON: I’m Gotsumon!
LOWEMON: You’re in the wrong series!
PUMPMON: Oh, don’t be such stiffs!
GOTSUMON: Did you know? Just the other day, one of the staff members was waiting for the pedestrian light at Shibuya, and a young person who was a complete stranger apparently said this!
PUMPMON/GOTSUMON: ”You can’t have Shibuya without Pump and Gotsu!”
PUMPMON: That makes me so happy! Thank you!
CHAKMON: [running up] Hey, wait for me!
PUMPMON: Here’s Chakkamon6 who will inspect our tickets!
CHAKMON: Ahh, it’s so cold! I brought hotpot! I’m gonna light it up now! Click. Click. Huh? I’m out of gas! —Hey, I’m not Chakkamon!
PUMPMON: Oh, my apologies! Checkmon!
CHAKMON: Let’s see here, I’m going to check the quality of this merchandise… Oh, it’s good… And the packaging? Not bad… The time of delivery is— I’m not Checkmon either!
PUMPMON: I know that! Chutneymon!
CHAKMON: Just as I thought, you can’t have curry without chutney!
FAIRYMON: …How long are you going to keep doing this, Chakmon?
CHAKMON: Oh, hello!
GOTSUMON: Well, well, if it isn’t Lady Fairymon!
FAIRYMON: Is there no women-only car here?7
GOTSUMON: Not at this time, unfortunately.
BLITZMON: It’s okay, Fairymon. I, Blitzmon, will risk my very life to protect you.
PUMPMON: Whoa, a human power generator! Nice! Like a Digimon stun gun!
BLITZMON: Oh souls warped by evil desires! My lightning will purify thee!
[Lightning falls and something blows up]
PUMPMON: Hey, there’s someone within the smoke!
AGNIMON: [theatrically] Agnimon has arrived!
PUMPMON: Is he in a period piece?8
AGNIMON: Quiet all ye! Oh souls corrupted by evil! Do thou not see this family crest of flames?!
PUMPMON: But why a period piece?
AGNIMON: If thou dost not know, then listen sharp! I call myself Agnimon, but my old name was different! I was born in Izumo and was originally a miko! I became a performer and put on shows as I journey! My kabuki dancing is world-famous! [in a girlish voice] If you’ve heard of Okunimon, that’s me!
CHAKMON: Go go, fire lady!
NEEMON: Allow me to explain! Okunimon is a female performer who is considered to be the originator of kabuki theater. She is a Digimon modeled after Izumo no Okuni.9
AGNIMON: My recompense be like a fiery chariot10. Pray, would you put a pretty coin in my purse?
FAIRYMON: [applauding] Wow…
BLITZMON: What an impressive show!
PUMPMON/GOTSUMON: Oh man, they’re going along with it!
LOWEMON: Hm? Wolfmon… What’s the matter? You look like you’re struggling with something.
WOLFMON: …Hey… Can I make a pervy joke?
ALL: NO!

[The Trailmon departs]

NEEMON: Now… At last, it’s time to set off for the Digital World! What sort of world do you think it is? This is so exciting!

GOTSUMON: Ahh! Oh crap!
PUMPMON: [banging on the doors] Let us out!
FAIRYMON: They were so wrapped up in fooling around that they forgot to get off…
BLITZMON: What a pair of clumsy bunglers.
PUMPMON: Damn it! If I can’t leave, then I’m gonna make a mess in here! Trick Or Treat!
GOTSUMON: Angry Rock!
CHAKMON: Ah… They hit Lowemon.
LOWEMON: You guys… Mind if I beat you up?11
PUMPMON/GOTSUMON: E–Eeehhhh?!
LOWEMON: I can’t hear your answer zansu!12
WOLFMON: That sounded like a mix of stuff there…

WOLFMON: Hey, guys… I know there’s stuff going on right now, but am I really not allowed to make a pervy joke?
ALL: NO!

NEEMON: Look at that. We’re getting further and further away from Shibuya. Now look ahead. That’s the Digital World. The future where you’re meant to go. The frontier of hopes and dreams!

Throw into the smouldering heart a FIRE!! Make your heart fly to the horizon Once I’ve kicked up the feeling of running around in circles I’m going ahead to the next frontier It will be granted! Yes it will! The point of ignition is almost there You can do it! Yes you can! Show them your explosion Burn up ‘n Go!! Jump over these trash cans to the future that’s ahead Clad in light, get a fire power!! Burn up blazing the might in your eyes With unerasable courage, get a fire power!! To the frontier full of unknowns I’ll keep running “bringing you along”

——————————–1 Serie A = One of the best professional football leagues in the world. Serie A through C are professional leagues, while Serie D is a non-professional league. [Link to Wikipedia]2 Sukehiro Tomita = Although not an actual soccer player, this man was the screenplay writer for the Digimon Frontier TV series. He did in fact graduate from Urawa High School in Saitama.3 Reader model = A “normal, everyday” person who is a model for fashion magazines meant to target the average person. [Link to Wikipedia]4 H.U. = Izumi uses the term “HonDai” which is a shortened term for “Hon*** Daigaku” (本大 or Hon*** University). Since, however, no actual “HonDai” exists, I translated it to H.U.5 Shizuka Arakawa in the Turin Olympics = This is a reference to Arakawa’s free-skate program during the Turin Olympics in 2006. The song used was “Turandot,” an opera by Giacomo Puccini. [Link to a video of Arakawa’s free-skate program on Youtube]6 Chakkamon = “Chakka” (着火) meaning “to ignite”.7 Women-only car = Some of Japan’s trains have cars that are designated for women only, in order to decrease cases of sexual harrassment in trains. [Link to Wikipedia]8 A period piece = Agnimon’s tone of voice indicates that he is acting in a “jidaigeki,” a period drama set in the Edo period to depict the livelihoods of samurai and people back in the day. [Link to Wikipedia]9 Izumo no Okuni = A reference to a real miko who became the originator of kabuki theater. [Link to Wikipedia]10 “Like a fiery chariot” = A saying that means your financial situation is tight and you’re in the red. It’s likely that Agnimon here is asking for money for his performance. I translated it literally to keep the “flame” reference for Agnimon.11 “You guys… Mind if I beat you up?” = The beginning of the catchphrase said by Ryutaros, a character from Kamen Rider Den-O. He is voiced by the same voice actor, Kenichi Suzumura.12 “I can’t hear your answer zansu!” = The second part of Ryutaros’ catchphrase, ending in Iyami’s “zansu” (a character from Osomatsu-san), who is also voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.

I'm a Maniac

Despite as many issues as I have with Frontier, the drama made me so happy inside. It's fun to see these chaeacters again. I may rewatch Frontier after all.
The writing was really funny, and it makes me interested in other dramas for other seasons.
I'm suprised that the BD-Box had so much stuff, it really seemed actually worth the large price... am I allowed to make a pervy joke from that?

Red shirt

Thanks for the breakdown, and a colossal "thank you" to onkei for such a fast and thorough translation! I'm very thankful for all the work you've done for fans of the Digimon CD dramas over the years.

I've been exploring my copy of the blu-ray box and drama CD as well. I noticed the lack of clips playing on the main menu, but I didn't even think to check to see if the credits were redone in HD. It's nitpicking, to be sure, but it's a shame that they seem to have been given slightly less time/funding for nice little touches like that. Oh, well. I remember back when we weren't even sure if these blu-ray boxes would continue past Adventure, so I can overlook the small flaws. Very glad to hear that the audio/video quality is up to snuff.

My biggest complain is the continuous abandonment of on-disc bonus features. Don't get me wrong, the booklet and packaging are above and beyond what most television shows receive, and I'm incredibly grateful. But just like the Adventure 02, Tamers, and movie sets, there's stuff from past DVD releases that they could have ported over with little to no effort. Granted, the majority of Frontier's Japanese DVD extras were glorified highlight reels of clips from the show, so we're not missing much. But the one thing I really wish they had ported over to the blu-ray is the original preview for Frontier episode #01. It's just a 30-second promo, but it features original narration from the main cast, and it's a shame to not have that preserved here. You could argue that it's no big loss, but c'mon... this set costs hundreds of dollars. Just give us all the bells and whistles.

Listening to the CD drama was a real treat. I was able to piece together the biggest story developments by listening to it raw, but I can't tell you how much I appreciate having onkei's translation. The 2018 Tamers drama essentially functioned as a pilot episode for a show that's never going to exist, and that was a fun concept. But I'm glad that this one goes the route of the 2015 Adventure drama and just allows the staff and cast to have some fun. I'm still a little sad that Bokomon doesn't get to appear, but I feel a little better about it after reading the translation because Neemon technically doesn't "appear" either. His "cameo" is just a little "Guess who I am!" comment from the usual Frontier narrator. It's cute. Very Yū Yū Hakusho.

Thanks again for the breakdown, and I'm very much looking forward to the translations of the new interview and the CD drama cast/staff comments. Thanks again for all that you guys do!

Big Cheese

My biggest complain is the continuous abandonment of on-disc bonus features. Don't get me wrong, the booklet and packaging are above and beyond what most television shows receive, and I'm incredibly grateful. But just like the Adventure 02, Tamers, and movie sets, there's stuff from past DVD releases that they could have ported over with little to no effort. Granted, the majority of Frontier's Japanese DVD extras were glorified highlight reels of clips from the show, so we're not missing much. But the one thing I really wish they had ported over to the blu-ray is the original preview for Frontier episode #01. It's just a 30-second promo, but it features original narration from the main cast, and it's a shame to not have that preserved here. You could argue that it's no big loss, but c'mon... this set costs hundreds of dollars. Just give us all the bells and whistles

I believe everything (nearly) was abandoned since they did the DVD-Boxes years ago.

I assume most of those extras were likely (legally) promotional tools where the contracts on aspects expired/lapsed and they'd need to recheck with people, relicense certain things, get permission from who actively holds them, etc. and at some point it just isn't worth their effort to deal with it. And that's assuming they even can find the the paperwork to say who actually owns them.

As for the pre-airing promo, it's feasible something like that might have been paid for by Fuji TV and it was 'their promo', and once the rights lapsed for Toei to include it on stuff, there isn't much value in Happinet having Toei track down the contracts to confirm if Toei owns it and can let Happinet include it on the set, or does Happinet have to negotiate with Fuji, etc.

That doesn't make it fix the problem of it not being there for you, but a 'potential' explanation is hopefully better than nothing.

I'm a Maniac

.... well good to know he can be duskmon again...., was kinda hopping for a return to the digital world or something but ok
The audio drama’s just don’t really do it for me, the plots are always kinda meh

I come from the net

Wow amazing work guys!! The translation is much better than a few spoilers to understand better the context I have some questions and thoughts about the CD Drama:
1) I feel that Tomoki is quite more mature now compared to Takuya...while Takuya is the same as always :´) I liked a lot the interaction between the two.
2) Kinda neat those references to Fairymon & Blitzmon during the conversation between Izumi & Junpei. Poor Junpei is still so harshly friendzoned xd
3) I like the idea that Izumi wants to do something further apart from being a magazine model. It's okay I guess, but she has potential do it better (?)
4) Koji's & Koichi's interaction felt sort of stiff. I guess it's not easy to leave your twin brother behind. Koichi is now oficially Jou's apprentice lol
5) When talking about Koji's mother, I assume he's referring to the woman married to the father of both not to their biological other, am I right?
6) I'm amazed about the Löwemon/Duskmon situation. It seems that both switch between each form depending on his mood, and I like that! Unless there's something more serious going on. It's not a secret Duskmon is one my favourite Digimon and villains from all times.
7) If the 6 Warriors went to the Human World in order to look after their human partners, I guess there's a good excuse that explains the absence of Grottomon, Arbormon, Ranamon & Mercuremon. However, I don't get why Bokomon is not there alongside Neamon.
8) "Just the other day, one of the staff members was waiting for the pedestrian light at Shibuya, and a young person who was a complete stranger apparently said this!" I think I didn't get what it seems to be a reference...what did I miss?
9) "Whoa, a human power generator! Nice! Like a Digimon stun gun!" What are they trying to say? Are they talking about Blitzmon?
10) I'm not sure I get the Pumpmon/Gottsumon situation, they are the ticket collectors for those who are heading to the Digital World? If so, why they say Chackmon is going to check their tickets? I get a little bit confused here.
11) I wonder what the pervy joke Wolfmon wants to tell could be. I like the idea that now each Warrior has its own personality. I mean Chackmon wasn't used to be this funny and straightforward when Tomoki was carrying his Spirit xd
12) Worth mentioning after hearing the Drama CD itself that during the scene of the train in Shibuya, it's played an instrumental song

Super Moderator

5) When talking about Koji's mother, I assume he's referring to the woman married to the father of both not to their biological other, am I right?
8) "Just the other day, one of the staff members was waiting for the pedestrian light at Shibuya, and a young person who was a complete stranger apparently said this!" I think I didn't get what it seems to be a reference...what did I miss?
9) "Whoa, a human power generator! Nice! Like a Digimon stun gun!" What are they trying to say? Are they talking about Blitzmon?
10) I'm not sure I get the Pumpmon/Gottsumon situation, they are the ticket collectors for those who are heading to the Digital World? If so, why they say Chackmon is going to check their tickets? I get a little bit confused here.

#5 - One would assume he's talking about his step-mom, since his biological mother is dead.
#8 - I think it's just a reference to something that actually happened. Someone from Toei heard a stranger mention Pumpmon and Gotsumon.
#9 - Yeah, they're talking about Blitzmon.
#10 - Pumpmon and Gotsumon are just there to make a fun cameo. The thing about Chackmon checking tickets is one of a series of jokes where they get his name wrong (Chackmon sounds like Checkmon) and he responds to it.

Red shirt

As for the pre-airing promo, it's feasible something like that might have been paid for by Fuji TV and it was 'their promo', and once the rights lapsed for Toei to include it on stuff, there isn't much value in Happinet having Toei track down the contracts to confirm if Toei owns it and can let Happinet include it on the set, or does Happinet have to negotiate with Fuji, etc.

I can almost buy that, but it's still strange because the episode #01 previews for Adventure and Adventure 02 were carried over to their respective blu-ray boxes with no problem. It wasn't until the Tamers blu-ray that they stopped showing up. But I realize that each promo has its own individual contracts and whatnot (although I'm more inclined to believe it's just Toei being lazy and not providing Happinet with materials, as you said).

While I agree that a cameo from Bokomon would've been cool, it's important to keep in mind that Neemon isn't technically "there". He doesn't interact with any of the characters, and nobody acknowledges his presence. He's just our narrator.

I've already put my drama CD away and I'm admittedly too lazy to get it back out of that cardboard box again, but if it's the piece of music I'm thinking of, I'm almost positive it's part of the Frontier movie soundtrack (and thus, sadly unreleased).

The number overall doesn't compare well to prior sets, but they generally weren't expected to, and doing around 1/3 and 1/2 of what 02 and Tamers did (respectively) doesn't sound that odd for Frontier. With expectations likely reasonably in check the number isn't bad at all for a stand-alone Blu-ray release.

With 1,000 sold, it wouldn't be shocking if it doesn't place high enough on week 2 for us to get numbers, but with over 1,000 sold, hopefully it shows that there is a dedicated, if small, group of Digimon fans who are willing to spend money on Frontier and get them some sort of figure or other product, and continue on with future Digimon Blu-rays.

I'm a Maniac

I only saw this today, regardless, I'm wondering: Will there be new CD Dramas for all non-Adventure Digimon series? Since there was a new Tamers CD Drama and now there is a new Frontier CD Drama, will there be CD Dramas for Digimon Savers and Digimon Xros Wars?